


Waiting

by EliseW



Category: The Tunnel (TV)
Genre: F/F, Spoilers for Season 2
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-05
Updated: 2016-07-05
Packaged: 2018-07-21 19:41:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,108
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7401211
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EliseW/pseuds/EliseW
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>My version of how things might continue for Élise and Eryka.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Waiting

**Author's Note:**

> I tried to write some of Élise’s spontaneous thoughts in French. My French is about as fluent as Karl's so if anybody has any suggestions of how to make it sound more spontaneous and natural, please let me know. Suggestions of how to put in some more curse words are also very welcome…

There was just a small yellow circle of light from the reading lamp she had switched on about two hours ago when she had given up to fall asleep again and had decided to start reading instead.  
The rest of the hotel room lay in darkness, but there was nothing to see there anyway. The rooms of these upper-class hotels all looked the same and she had seen more of those within the last two years than in all of her life before.

It all had become a certain routine by now.  
She would forward her duty rota as soon as she got it to a mail adress registered with a freemail provider that didn't require any prove of identity when registering.  
Then she’d get a text, coming from one of several diffrent mobile numbers changing in a random order, with a time and a place, usually a date when she had 1 or 2, sometimes even 3 days off, so she didn't need to take vacation days and people wouldn't ask what she had planned for her holidays.  
They would meet in some hotel somewhere within a 3-4 hours driving distance for her.

She had no idea if Eryka sometimes just decided to meet at random places to not leave any pattern or if she scheduled all of their meetings when she had things to take care of in the city in question anyway.  
This time it seemed to be the latter and she still seemed to have some business to finish even though Élise had already arrived.  
It had happened twice before, that Élise had woken up in the middle of the night because Eryka ran her fingers through her hair and whispered to her, “I need to take care of some stuff. I’ll be back in the morning...” and before Élise had really woken up to say anything, Eryka was gone.

Tonight she couldn't fall asleep again after that and had started to read the new book Eryka had brought for her this time: The English translation of Iceland’s Bell, of which Eryka had almost embarrassedly admitted that she hadn't read that one in it's original language either.

Usually Eryka was lovingly teasing Élise by pointing out that literature really lost something in the translation and that she had to betray all of her principles when she bought books in the English or French translation for Élise because she couldn't read the original.  
Élise smiled when she thought of that.  
She had been made fun of for a lot of things throughout her life, but being teased for knowing “only” two and two half languages had never been one of them.

She had borrowed Eryka’s tablet at some occasions and when she opened the language options to switch the keyboard from something with Kyrillic letters to French a seemeingly endless list of preselected language profiles to choose from opened, many of which she couldn't even identify, because they weren't even in the Latin alphabet.

Thanks to the deal Eryka’s side had made - Élise still wasn't sure if it was the FSB itself or some associated group that got involved whereever conflicts fueled by suppression, national pride and powerful people's economic interests flamed up -, the official French and British police files mentioned Eryka Klein as nothing more than the next of kin of one of the victims of the plane crash in the English Channel.

Obviously the MI6, the DGSE and probably also several associated secret services had all unofficial information as well. So even if they didn't have anything that would provide them with an official reason to arrest her, she would certainly be under constant surveillance, if the name Eryka Klein should appear anywhere ever again.  
Obviously it was impossible for her to get a job or position again where she could be of any use to the people she worked for. So Eryka Klein had ceased to exist about two and a half years ago and someone else with a different name and a perfect back story had appeared out of nowhere.

That was all Élise knew by now. She had no idea, where that person Eryka was today lived and what exactly she pretended to work with, let alone what her real purpose in that position was. Eryka had said that it was better if she didn't know and Élise had agreed to that.  
Élise knew which name their hotel rooms were booked for and the credit cards Eryka payed with were registered to, but she had no idea if that was the same name Eryka lived by now.

Élise turned around in bed and tried to continue reading but she couldn't concentrate. _C'était complètement ridicule!_ Most of the time she didn't even know where Eryka was, let alone that she had any idea whether Eryka was in an especially risky situation right now or not and she slept just fine all the time.  
Now that she knew that Eryka was on whatever kind of mission, she lay here awake and wondered when she would be back.

The first light of dawn had started to creep in through the curtains. Élise checked the time on her mobile phone. It was five thirty in the morning.  
She got up and opened the curtains. She looked down at the waterside promenade along the Scheldt. The water of the broad river was shimmering in the light of the sun, that had just started to rise in the north-east.  
The silhouette of cranes, silos and other harbour installations of the port of Antwerp were vaguely visible in the background.  
For dinner last night they had been at a restaurant in the Old Town that started right behind their hotel, but Élise was even less interested in Flemish medieval guild houses right now than she had already been yesterday evening.  
It was pretty obvious by now that Eryka hadn't chosen Antwerp for the scenery and the architecture either...

Élise was only dressed in the washed out T-shirt she used as a sleepshirt and started to get chilly.  
She got the blanket from the bed and climbed up on the broad window sill. She sat with her back leaned against the window’s reveal, her legs streched out on the window sill and covered herself with the blanket. She tried to continue reading but spend most of the time keeping an eye on the people approaching and entering the hotel this early in the morning.

Élise’s life in Calais and Dunkirk went on like before: She was successful at work and most people around her still confused her just as much as she confused them.  
She sometimes worked with Karl when a cooperation across the channel was necessary and occasionally visited him and his family in Kent.  
It was like her meetings with Eryka happened in a different world she crossed over to, when she got into her car and started to drive whereever Eryka had texted her to come to.

Karl had gotten onto them pretty soon. In the beginning there had been worried disapproval.  
“Are you sure, that she doesn't have any special reason to contact you again?”  
“Yes, of course she has! She missed me and wanted to see me again!”  
“You are sure, there isn't anything you might work on that she might be interested in? Any information you might provide her with without even realising it?”

Élise never had the slightest doubt that this was not what this was about. They talked as little about her work as they did about Eryka’s. There were other things they spend their time on when they were together.

Élise had never seriously felt that she needed to worry that Karl would report her though. Even if she didn't agree with him, she knew that he was just worried about her getting hurt again. He didn't care if it could be considered a malfeasance, that she had an intimate relationship with someone who should basically be in prison for terrorism.

In the end Karl just asked her to be careful and not tell him anymore details than he already knew and already didn't feel comfortable with.  
She had involved him anyway at some point when Eryka apparently hadn't found any days they could meet that coincited with Élise’s days off. In case someone asked what she did on her vacation days she would tell them she visited Karl in England - so if someone ever happened to bring that up would he please confirm it? He agreed without hesitation.

When she asked him again when the same situation arose again some time later, he had looked at her smilingly for some time.  
“You seem happy, Élise!” he finally said.  
She had stared at him flabbergasted before it hit her that he was right.

She hadn't felt like this since she and Manon had run through the surf at a beach near Bordeaux over twenty years ago, holding hands and screaming with laughter - not knowing that just a few minutes later they would get carried off their feet by a wave and her life would never be the same again.

Now she felt like that again and, yes, it seemed indeed very plausible that this was happiness.  
The feeling became overwhelmingly present when she thought of Eryka but it wasn't limited to the days when she was with her. Also during the weeks when she didn't even know where on this planet Eryka even was, just knowing that there was someone out there she belonged together with made her feel… well… happy, apparently.

 _Putain, où est-elle?!_ If she had left during the night, whatever she did was probably supposed to happen in the dark and now it wasn't dark anymore so she had to be finished by now. Why wasn't she back yet?  
Usually when someone didn't come home and there were reasons to assume that he or she had gotten into trouble, it was Élise’s part to find out what had happened. Now her part seemed to be to sit here and wait. Even if Eryka wouldn't come back for hours and Élise could be sure that something had gone wrong, she had no idea where she should even start to search for her or whom she was supposed to inform that Eryka was missing. Calling the Belgian police would probably not be the smartest move!  
_C'était complètement irrationnel!_ Up to now Eryka was just a little late! She would return, of course she would!

At some point the question had come up if they both were ok with their arrangement. Was it enough for them to only meet like this? Would they want something more, if the circumstances were different?

Élise was sure that she didn't. It wasn't that she didn't miss Eryka when they weren't together. She did! Sometimes there were things that she would have liked to tell her, when she came home from work. There were many nights when she was longing to do more than just replay her memories.  
She knew though that there were even more days, when even the conversations at work were too much talking for her and she longed for the silence of her flat in the evening. Also her bed was mostly exactly big enough for herself.  
Having someone else too close too often just wasn't her thing. She knew that that wouldn't change even if it was Eryka who she’d be together with.

Eryka had thought about her own answer for a while longer.  
“The way I grew up doesn't exactly prepare you very well for having close attachments and relationships,” she said after a while. “I think, I would like to be someone who would want more - maybe even some kind of family. But I suppose I’m just not that someone… I don't think I would be very well suited for that.”

Élise wasn't sure she really liked that answer. She should probably have felt relieved that Eryka wouldn't expect anything of her that she wasn't willing to give, but after the revelation that had hit her about herself some time ago, there was a question that was more important to her.  
“But are you happy?” she asked. “With this…? With us? - And please, don't lie, because you don't want to disappoint me!” she added, when Eryka hesitated with her answer for a while.

“I suppose I’d be happier, if a lot of things had been different in my life, you certainly can imagine that,” Eryka finally answered . “But they weren't! That's just how it is.”  
She reached out for Élise’s face and put her palm to her cheek.  
“I’ve been happier in the last one and a half year than ever before in my life. I want you to know that. But you can't fix everything that happened and you shouldn't feel that you have to!”

Élise put her own hand over Eryka's and caressed her fingers with her thumb. Usually she wasn't one for declarations of love, but she felt that this was something that Eryka really ought to know. “I’m happy as well! Because of you!”

Élise was still aware of course that Eryka had been involved in killing over a hundred people and that it was entirely possible that she was working on something similar again.

From nightlong conversations Élise knew a lot about Eryka's early life by now. It had been painful to even listen to those stories but she was glad anyway that Eryka had trusted her with it.  
From Eryka's point of view she understood why she chose the side she did, although Élise suspected that that decision was rather based on an emotional solidarity with the side that used to be the opponents of the demons of her childhood than on any rational choice.

Élise still believed it did matter which side you were on in a battle, because she was convinced that not all sides fought with the same weapons.  
Whatever the so called greater good was, it was just wrong to tolerate such a number of uninvolved victims, and she firmly believed that the side of the Western European democracies - that she felt she was part of in a way as a French police officer - at least generally shared that view.

Eryka almost laughed at her for that and called her hopelessly naive. Élise didn't really know what to answer to that. Eryka certainly had insights in things Élise would never even hear rumours about, so how was she supposed to argue about this?  
And what did it matter anyway?  
If Eryka made her feel like she did, it was worth it to betray a few principles. After all Eryka did the same for her concerning translated books...

The door of the hotel room beeped when the key card was inserted on the outside. Eryka had not been among the people Élise had seen entering the hotel! For a second the thought hit her, what she was supposed to do if this wasn't Eryka but whoever she might have gotten caught by tonight, who now came to check her hotel room.  
She had left her weapon in her desk in Calais. It was illegal to take it across the border even within the Schengen Area and of course she had never expected to need it.  
Before Élise had even finished that thought, the door opened and Eryka got in.  
Obviously... What kind of spy would use the main entrance when going on a mission…?

First now when she felt how relieved she was to see her, Élise realised just how worried she had been.  
_Dieu merci, elle était revenue!_  
Last night would not have been the last time she had felt Eryka's lips on hers while her fingers tenderly ran through her hair.  
It would not have been the last time that she watched Eryka close her eyes to enjoy what would come, when Élise’s tongue started to search for just the right spot to play with.  
She would get more books to read and they would continue to talk for hours over food the roomservice brought in boring hotel rooms in Paris, Cologne or Rotterdam before they both fell asleep in each other's arms.  
_Dieu merci, elle était revenue!_

This was probaly the moment she should rush towards her and hug her like she'd never let her go but she had something else on her mind.

Eryka was surprised to see Élise sitting on the window sill.  
“You're up early!” She put up her jacket on the coat hook by the door.  
“I was up the whole time,” Élise answered.  
“I’m sorry!” Eryka turned towards her. “I hadn't expected for this to take this long either, but I didn't think you'd wait up for me.”

Élise got down from the window sill.  
She briefly wondered, where Eryka might have been in the middle of the night that required this kind of attire: She was dressed very formally; her hair carefully styled. Élise stood in front of her in her sleep T-shirt with ruffled hair and bare legs and feet.

“What happens if something goes wrong one day?” she asked. “Will I just not get any texts anymore and never find out what happened?”  
“You could get shot everyday at work as well. We’ve both got dangerous jobs.”  
“If I don't show up for one of our meetings, you just need to Google me. It's going to be on the news, if Commander Wassermann dies on duty. You would probaly… just disappear.”  
“You will get to know...!” Eryka took a few more steps towards her. “There are instructions of what I want… if something happens to me. You will get information.”  
Élise let that sink in. “Your superiors know about me.” It was a statement, not a question.  
“It's a sealed envelope, that's only going to be opened… when I'm gone. I suppose they know some way or the other anyway, but I think they’ve really got other things to worry about. The important thing is: If I won't come back one day, you will get to know what happened.”

Élise nodded. “Ok…” That was what she had wanted.

Eryka closed the distance beween them with a few steps and reached out to take Élise’s hand. “I’m so tired! I hardly slept tonight and apparantly so did you! Let's just go to bed!”

They did.  
Before Élise fell asleep, her head nestled up to Eryka's shoulder, her arm around Eryka’s waist, she whispered, “Please, don't ever get caught!”  
“I’ll do what I can!” Eryka whispered back, her arm around Élise’s shoulders. “Please, don't ever get shot!”  
“I won't!” Élise murmured, before she finally drifted off to sleep.

**Author's Note:**

> I’d love to hear other’s thoughts of how things might continue for Eryka and Élise! So if you’ve got any ideas, please let me know!


End file.
